HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL: Trenton's season ends with loss to Sayerville

TRENTON — Of all the lessons the Trenton High girls learned during this disappointing basketball season, the one that will last the longest came yesterday at Tornado Alley.

It will last for the next 10 months until the returning underclassmen hit the court again.

Trenton suffered a rare opening round NJSIAA tournament loss — at home of all places — as Sayreville used 30 points by Alyssa McDonough and 25-for-44 foul shooting to stun the Lady Tornadoes, 56-48 yesterday.

Trenton’s seventh loss in its last nine games ended its season at 12-13, the first time it ended with a losing record under coach Reggie Murray since the 1996-97 team finished 10-14.

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What made this defeat so bitter was that the Tornadoes fought back to take a 43-42 lead with 3:52 left on a jumper by freshman guard Jhanna Wilson.

It was tied one more time — at 45 — on a Beyhane Thompson layup off a turnover, but the 16-10 Bombers, who were the 10th seed in Central Jersey IV, scored 11 of the next 12, with McDonough hitting her 1,000th career point on a free throw with 17 ticks remaining.

The win sends Sayreville on to face the Jackson/Monroe winner Wednesday.

“I’m so happy I finally got my 1,000th, but the win in the state tournament, and on the road, means so much,” said McDonough, who sank 15 of the 25 foul shots her team made. She shot 7-for-18 from the field and had five rebounds, while teammates Jackie Rodriguez and Amanda Quintero got all the other Sayreville points with 13 each.

Trenton, which was led by a dozen points from Thompson, 10 from fellow senior Lorenza Square and 11 by Wilson, not only had five girls foul out but also turned the ball over 27 times. It shot 19-for-65 as it fell even though it put in five more field goals than the Middlesex County club.

“We should have made more of our foul shots and finished off on the defensive end,” said McDonugh, a transfer from Cardinal McCarrick in South Amboy who had to wait 30 days after switching schools before she became eligible earlier this month.

This game was sloppy from the start, with Sayreville using two 6-0 runs in the second quarter for a 21-20 lead at halftime. It got up 35-21 midway in the third period only to see Trenton play its best f the game and use an 8-3 run to get within 38-34 to close the third period.

McDonough had the only Bombers points in the run on a 3-pointer, while Square closed the drive hitting three free throws. Wilson’s basket gave Trenton its only lead of the final quarter before McDonough got hot one more time.

“We didn’t box out like we should have tonight and made it tougher on ourselves,” said McDonough, who might be headed to FDU-Florham which is headed to the NCAA Tournament thanks to the five Lady Tornaodes it has on its roster.